2005 Ford Escape Hybrid

America's first SUV hybrid.

Hybrid. The dictionary definition is simple: "one of mixed origin or composition." But defining automotive hybrids isn't at all easy; which are "pure," "mild" or hype?

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Into this confusion drives the newest hybrid vehicle, one that is quite a pleasant surprise: Ford's Escape Hybrid. Only little "HYBRID" badges, specific alloy wheels and a vent in the rear quarter window hint at its gasoline/electric drive system.

Interior changes? On the base model, a dashboard gauge indicates if the battery is charging, the tachometer needle rests at zero when you're in the pure electric mode and there's a PRNDL message center. An optional navigation system with a pictogram demonstrates how power is being routed — engine, motor, battery — and offers a readout of instant or accumulated fuel mileage. A 110-volt outlet is another extra.

All this is quite subtle considering what's under the sheet metal. Like To-yota's Prius, the Escape is a pure hybrid. This means it can run on only electricity (driven lightly to 25 mph) or a combination of electricity and the power of a 2.3-liter gasoline inline-4. An automatic stop-start function shuts off the internal combustion at rest and turns it on at launch, while regenerative braking recovers energy for the array of nickel/metal-hydride batteries under the rear load floor.

The Escape can be had with front drive or — a feature it shares for the time being with no other hybrid — extra-cost all-wheel drive.

While the Escape shares no parts with the Prius, their drive systems are similar partially because of a patent swap between the automakers that forestalled nasty legal tangles. Ford points out that the software is all its own.

The gasoline heart of the Escape is a 2.3-liter Duratec-based four with 133 bhp at 6000 rpm and 129 lb.-ft. of torque at 4500 rpm. An Atkinson-cycle engine, the four is said to be 4 percent more efficient than a normal 2.3 Duratec, but loses torque at low speeds. That loss is made up by a 94-hp electric motor working in unison with the gasoline engine via an electronically controlled planetary gear CVT (continuously variable transmission). Ford claims a combined 155 bhp for the hybrid system.

Also on the tech list are the "regen" brakes and electric power-assisted steering so you have boost even when the gasoline engine is off.

Nudge the key and the hybrid system comes alive. Shift into Drive and if you're a bit gentle with the throttle, you hum away under purely electric power. Dip into the pedal for more acceleration or get over 25 mph, and the gasoline four kicks gently into the equation.

Electric, gas, or both? Dashboard's pictogram demonstrates how power is routed.

Ford claims 4-cylinder fuel economy with 6-cylinder power for the hybrid, and while it doesn't feel that sprightly, it climbs freeway onramps with ease and can be fun on a curvy road or even off-road.

There are a few oddities, like the loud, disconcerting engine hum as the CVT revs the four up to its "sweet spot" and holds it there under acceleration. You can feel the engine as it shuts down at stops and minor vibrations under some conditions.

Ford estimates the Escape Hybrid's combined fuel mileage at 32 mpg, which is about what we saw in mixed driving. Early guesses at EPA mileage are 35 mpg city/29 mpg highway. That's a far cry from the Prius' 60/51 mpg and the Honda Civic "mild" Hybrid's 47/48 mpg, but in a very different package... an SUV for those offended by SUV fuel mileage?

Buyers who are confirmed "greens" and find hybrids fit their needs to help conserve fuel (but aren't crunching numbers to have it all make financial sense) will like the new Ford. It's a useful, enjoyable package.

Those who want the Escape to stand up to the gasoline-powered Escape on a cost-per-mile basis will have more trouble making sense of it, particularly if the premium over the standard Escape is the expected $3000-$3500.

It's nice to see another sensible hybrid in the mix. And we're anxious to drive the Toyota and Lexus SUV hybrids that are just around the corner.